Flag of Sri Lanka

What the flag of Sri Lanka looks like

The flag has a yellow border surrounding two panels. The panel on the hoist side is divided into two vertical stripes, green next to the pole and orange beside it. The larger panel on the fly side is maroon, and it carries a yellow lion facing the hoist and holding a sword in its right forepaw. A yellow leaf of the bo (sacred fig) tree sits in each corner of the maroon panel. The ratio is 1:2.

The lion in the flag is a Sinhalese lion, which is a stylized figure and not a real species. It has a curly mane, a beard and a raised tail with a tuft. The sword is a kastane, a traditional weapon of the Kandyan kingdom.

Sri Lanka flag meaning and symbolism

Each part of the flag is read as a symbol of the country's communities and values. The lion represents the Sinhalese people, the largest community, and in a wider sense the strength and bravery of the nation. The sword stands for sovereignty. The maroon background is linked to the Sinhalese and to Buddhism, and the yellow border is a sign of the other communities and the unity of the nation.

• Orange stripe: the Tamil community, most of them Hindu
• Green stripe: the Muslim community
• Four bo leaves: Buddhism and its four virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity

Several details of the lion are also given meanings. The hair on the head is said to stand for religious observance, the beard for purity of speech, and the nose for intelligence. These readings are traditional and are not a part of the law.

The flag has also been criticized because it places the symbol of one community in the center, while minority groups are shown in narrow stripes.

History of the Sri Lankan flag

The lion flag goes back to the kings of Kandy, the last independent kingdom on the island, which fell to the British in 1815. A lion with a sword was a symbol of the Sinhalese kings long before that, and it has often been said that the design is more than two thousand years old. The claim that this is the oldest flag in the world is hard to prove, and other countries, such as Denmark, are usually given that title for continuous use.

Ceylon, as the country was known until 1972, became independent from Britain in February 1948. The first national flag was based on the lion flag of the Kandyan kings. Minority groups objected that they were not represented, and in 1951 a committee added the green and orange stripes. When Ceylon became a republic and was renamed Sri Lanka on 22 May 1972, the design was finalized once more, with the bo leaves, the border and the lion in their present form. The name Sri Lanka is often translated as "resplendent island".

The flag has not changed since. Sri Lanka marks the day of independence on 4 February.

Sri Lanka's flag among the flags of Asia

Few flags in the world feature a lion. Sri Lanka's is the only national flag where a lion carries a sword. Neighbor India, to the north, uses a saffron, white and green tricolor with a wheel. You can find more Asian designs on the flags of Asia page, and the Sri Lanka flag emoji shows the lion in a simplified form.